Review Indus Water Treaty (IWT):Tarigami

Track News Service: CPI (M) State Secretary and MLA Kulgam, Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami has
said that Indus Water Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan should
be reviewed as the State has been unable to harness the full Hydel
potential.
In a statement issued here, today, Tarigami has observed that it is an
apt time to review the treaty as it has affected the State badly
making it unable to harness the immense Hydel power potential. In
2002, he had initiated a short duration discussion in Legislative
Assembly, urging Central government to safeguard the economic
interests of the state as it was bearing a recurring loss of Rs 65
billion annually due to IWT.

Tarigami added that the State can not harness its 15000 MW power
generation potential due to the treaty and concerted efforts made to
persuade the Centre to compensate these losses have been futile. He
urged that Jammu and Kashmir be accorded a participatory status so
that it could get additional power generated from the Ravi, Beas and
Sutlej rivers for its own requirements.

“We can`t make an optimum use of waters of the Indus, Chenab and
Jehlum rivers for power generation and irrigation. We cannot raise
dams and reservoirs for storing water which could be utilised during
the lean period. This goes against the interests of our State,” he
added.

On outsourcing of operation and maintenance of Bhagliar power project
to NHPC, though for a limited period of time, Tarigami said that
besides being a costlier affair, it generates apprehensions among
masses.

“We should raise requisite level of expertise within our State by
training our own engineers and technicians to run such sophisticated
hydroelectric plants. Till we achieve this goal, we should call
engineers and other allied staff on deputation basis,” Tarigami
stressed.